At the university level, instructors will not always tell you everything that you need to do to succeed. One of the challenges of a college course is discovering what the expectations for you really are.
Thriving at the college level
The workshops, study space, and other resources at the Engineering Academic Center (EAC) are key to academic preparation.
Collaborative study required
When you study with others, you reduce your chances of “getting stuck,” and making mistakes. You get to see how other people solve problems, helping you refine your own skills.
To find or form a study group, we encourage you to attend tutoring sessions and visit our common study areas as a way to meet other students who you can work on problems with.
Studying engineering is a full-time job (with overtime)
The amount of time required each week to thrive academically will not be the same for every student, nor will it be constant from quarter to quarter. But, in general, plan to spend 2-3 hours outside of class studying and doing homework for each hour spent in class each week.
For a full-time student attending classes about 15 hours each week, this means 30-45 hours outside of class on school work. If we add all of that time together, the range is 45-60 hours per week dedicated to academics. This means that to perform well in your courses, you will need to organize your life around your studies.
Academic support programs
Three student programs provide academic support for all students, with an emphasis on encouraging underrepresented groups to pursue engineering studies and careers.
Study Centers and learning facilitators are open to all students. Additional support is available to members of WE Rise and through EAC. See their pages for information about their programs, which are open for anyone to join:
Engineering student computer lab
For pre-engineering students (but open to all engineering majors), the lab has 36 workstations in the main room, plus 3 small rooms for groups of 4 students to work collaboratively around one computer with a 46" monitor.
Location: Wilcox Hall, room 73
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
To reserve: help@engr.washington.edu